Something Wicked
by Linzerj
Summary: Vlad isn't the best person around, but he's not totally evil. Something is hurting the children in the town near his mansion, and he's determined to get to the bottom of it - despite the hunters chasing the same thing. -Drabble for superphantom week


Drabble for superphantom week. It doesn't fit any of the prompts really, unless you count Vlad as a minor character, but whatever I'm still on season one of SPN so this is the best I could do. (Oh, and sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I wrote this on my iPad and the autocorrect is a pain in the butt to deal with.)

Basically a character insight on Vlad that takes place during SPN 1x18, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and before season 3 of DP.

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Danny Phantom. All rights to their respective owners.

* * *

**Something Wicked**

_Vlad isn't the best person around, but he's not totally evil. Something is hurting the children in the town near his mansion, and he's determined to get to the bottom of it - despite the hunters chasing the same thing._

* * *

Vladimir Masters is a rich and powerful man. Vlad Plasmius is a powerful and feared ghost. Few know that the two are actually one and the same.

Vlad reigns over a monopoly, has set plans, and executes said plans with the goal to win. He is the chess master, the opponent who is only ever beaten by careful planning or sheer dumb luck.

He is also very easily angered, and an angry Vlad is not a nice Vlad.

Children in the town neighboring his mansion have been getting sick, falling into comas. Vlad knows that there is more to the supernatural world than just ghosts. He doesn't know for sure what this is, but he is going to find out.

And it is going to pay.

* * *

The day he finally arrives in town is the day the mysterious Winchesters show up.

They are hunters, Vlad realizes, from the way they sneak about, but unlike his beloved Maddie and her idiot husband, these two are not limiting themselves to just ghosts or werewolves or vampires. They will hunt anything not human that is harming people.

(Vaguely Vlad wonders what they would make of Plasmius; he has not harmed any humans, only sticking to dominating the Ghost Zone, though Jack has been a thorn in his side he's tried to off for a while...)

He follows the "CDC officials" around the hospital, and no one questions it because this is Vlad Masters, the billionaire who offers out scholarships to their college-bound children, who funds their hospital and police and fire departments, who considers and often hires locals in need for jobs.

(He's not heartless, despite what some might imply.)

He does catch the younger but taller brother, Sam, watching him hesitantly. He just arches an eyebrow in return, and makes a note to speak to the brothers later.

Talent like theirs shouldn't go to waste, after all.

Plasmius appears in the town that night. In truth Vlad never left; his limousine chauffeur is one of the only humans in his staff, and while he doesn't know the specifics of it all the man knows that Masters is to be respected, despite some of his more...eccentric requests. The limousine is parked at his stables a few miles out; Plasmius flew back within minutes.

Now he just needs to keep his invisibility up and hope he isn't spotted by the hunter brothers.

They'll think he's a vampire first, he knows, because of the fangs and hair (not that he chose that hairstyle, it came with the transformation), but as soon as they see the skin and eyes and ethereal glow - not to mention the floating - they'll quickly catch on.

He watches them from a distance as they confront an elderly hospital patient, but their hunch was wrong. They are all left empty handed.

And because of the setback, he missed his chance to catch the real killer.

Vlad is not happy. Once he finds this monster it is going to suffer.

* * *

He finds the brothers the next night, with the brother of the boy who was attacked the night prior.

_Fine_, Vlad thinks, hovering on the opposite side of the room and letting intangibility wash over his already invisible form. _I'll wait here for the demon to strike. If they mess up, I'll be their invisible savior._

He pauses. It's odd to think of himself as a hero. This had better be a one-time thing.

* * *

Finally, around three in the morning, something happens.

Vlad is thankful this thing cannot sense him in his ghost form - but, he muses, it's not a ghost so why should it care anyway?

He's snapped out of his thoughts by the whimpers of the boy. Vlad snarls to himself, preparing to strike -_ where are the hunters what are they waiting for why aren't they striking-?_

And then they burst into the room, guns at the ready, and they fire into the creature as the boy ducks to safety.

They go to it, and then they breathe a sigh of relief but Vlad tenses because _it's not **dead** dammit_-

In a flash the thing has the oldest, Dean, by the throat. It tosses him and his brother like rag dolls, but before it can pounce-

Vlad makes up his mind. In a flash he tackles the creature, snarling as he ignites his hands and burns the creature's flesh.

"You may not be feeding," he hisses, canines bared and eyes glowing, "but I can still hurt you beyond healing."

The creature - a shtriga, Vlad recalls - snarls at him as Vlad blasts it into the wall. He is aware of the brothers behind him, their guns having found a new target.

But even Vlad isn't fast enough for what happens next.

The creature knocks him aside, toward the bed, and he has just enough of his wits to turn intangible and pass through the bed, boy, and floor. Once his bearings are regained he rockets back into the room, in time to see Dean shoot the thing as it tries to feed off of Sam. He fires three more times into the things corpse, releasing smoky strands of life energy back to the children - though Vlad doubts they can see it.

Suddenly they're aiming their guns at him, and he smiles, careful not to show his teeth. "Looks like you had it under control."

"What are you?" Dean hisses as Sam turns to help the boy up. Vlad chuckles.

"Someone who wanted that thing gone as much as you did."

"Don't act smart," Dean growls, and Vlad frowns. "What do you want?"

The halfa shrugs. "Why must I want something? Is it because I'm not human anymore?"

"Ghost, then," Sam breathes, and Vlad curses himself for letting that slip.

"Perceptive, aren't you?" And he smirks, letting his teeth glint in the moonlight this time. "But you don't have the full story. I'm still very human, and yet very ghost." He watches them for a moment, internally laughing as they try to make sense of his riddle. "I'll see you around." And with a dramatic swirl of his cape he teleports away, right before Dean fires a shot at his head.

* * *

Vlad Masters manages to catch the two brothers before they pull out of town.

"You don't know how much of a relief it is to know this is over."

"So, ruthless businessman Vlad Masters has a soft spot?"

Sam chastises his brother with a glare, but Vlad merely chuckles. "Shocking as it is, I'm not one to let innocent children be harmed. Thanks for stopping it."

And the brothers freeze, watching Vlad with mirrored expressions of distrust and confusion. Sam whispers, "How did you know?"

He grins again, this time letting his ghostly fangs become more pronounced. "I had a front row seat. I'll see you around." And he vanishes from the otherwise empty roadway without a second thought.

He'll see them again. Sooner or later, they'll remember him and get curious and investigate.

He's looking forward to it.


End file.
